Electronic component packaging

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to the packaging of static sensitive, electro-mechanical and passive electronic components, and in particular to the packing of electronic components. An electronics packaging system ( 1 ) for electronic components, comprises a tray ( 2 ) formed of plastic sheet material, said sheet having opposite first and second surfaces ( 4, 5 ) and having a plurality of individual recesses ( 6 ) formed in the first surface ( 4 ) thereof, each recess ( 6 ) having a rim ( 8 ) that extends around the recess, and a coversheet ( 12 ) of antistatic fabric which extends over said first surface ( 4 ) of the tray ( 2 ) and across the rims ( 8 ) around said recesses ( 8 ). The coversheet ( 12 ) is bonded to the tray ( 2 ) to provide an individual packaging volume for an electronic device ( 16 ) between each recess ( 6 ) and the coversheet ( 12 ).

BACKGROUND

a. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the packaging of electronic components, including both passive and active electronic components and also static-sensitive electronic components.

b. Related Art

Electronic components, including discrete components such as resistors, capacitors and transistors and integrated components, in particular integrated circuits, are sometimes sold by retailers in relatively small quantities, for example in quantities of between one and one hundred. This may be because the sale is to a private individual making or repairing a single electronic device, or because the sale is to a company making a limited number of electronic components.

The retailer then has to pack and ship the electronic device(s) in such a way that the device is damaged in any way physically or electronically. If the component is static sensitive, then the component must not be exposed to static electricity. If the device has delicate connection pins, then such pins must not be damaged. It will also, in general, be important to prevent external gaseous or liquid contaminants from entering the packaging, which can happen if the parcel carrying the electronic device(s) is not well cared for.

One known way in which one or more electronic components can be packaged is by using a box made from a plastic material incorporating an antistatic compound or coating, for example corrugated plastic containing an antistatic filler. TO provide physical protection against jarring as well as further antistatic protection, the box is then lined, and optionally subdivided into a number of compartments, by antistatic foam layers or panels.

A worker packaging the electronic component(s), then manually places the component(s) inside one or more compartments within the box, and then seals the box for shipping. Often, the box will then be contained within an outer shipping container, for example a conventional cardboard box labelled with the recipient's address details.

When the recipient opens the parcel and the inner antistatic box, the electronic components should have arrived in good shape. Unfortunately, it is sometimes the case that components can be jarred against each other or the delicate legs of the components have been bent through inserting them into anti-static foam. Furthermore, all the components may be laid bare upon opening the inner box, even though the user may only require one such component at that time. The inner box may be re-sealable, but this still provides a potential way in which components not needed at that time may become damaged during the time the box is opened.

It would be desirable to provide a packaging system for electronic components which is more economical in use, less wasteful of packaging and therefore environmentally friendly, and which protects electronic components until such time as these are actually needed by a user.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a more convenient and reliable way of packaging all types of electronic components which addresses these issues.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided an electronics packaging system for electronic components, comprising:

-   -   a tray formed of plastic sheet material, said sheet having         opposite first and second surfaces and having a plurality of         individual recesses formed in the first surface thereof, each         recess having a rim that extends around the recess;     -   and a coversheet of fabric which extends over said first surface         of the tray and across the rims around said recesses;     -   wherein said coversheet is bonded to the tray to provide an         individual packaging volume for an electronic device between         each recess and said coversheet.

The coversheet may optionally be an antistatic coversheet. Similarly, the plastic sheet material forming the tray may or may not have static sensitive or dissipative or conductive properties.

Each recess is preferably surrounded by a planar region of the first surface. Then, each rim may project above the surrounding planar region. The coversheet may then be bonded to the first surface at each rim, but not in a portion of the surrounding planar region.

An advantage of this is that, in use, a user may more easily get between the un-bonded portion of the coversheet and peel off the bonded portion of the coversheet around the rim in order to gain access to the packaged electronic device.

Furthermore, the surrounding planar region may be provided with one or more lines of weakness so that a user can tear or break along these lines to separate one or more of the packaging volumes from one or more other packaging volumes. This helps a retailer or a user to quickly separate one or more of the individual packaging volumes.

The lines of weakness may include a perforation in at least the plastic sheet material, this perforation then not extending into the individual packaging volumes.

Alternatively, or additionally, these lines of weakness may include a local thinning in at least the plastic sheet material, this thinning not extending into the individual packaging volumes.

This helps to maintain isolation of the packaging volume from any liquid or gaseous contaminants in the external environment.

The system, in use, will package one or more electronic components held, preferably individually, within each packaging volume. Each chip may have projecting connection pins, which extend from the side of a body of the chip. These pins are then preferably seated within a groove provided in a base of the recess such that the pins extend away from the coversheet. The connection pins are then directed away from the coversheet so that these do not pierce the coversheet. The body of the chip may then be the only portion of the chip which can come into contact with the coversheet.

Each recess may include side walls, the groove in the recess extending around the base of the side walls, and these side walls having a clearance with the electronic device in the recess which maintains the seated location of the within the groove.

There will usually be a plurality of the individual packaging volumes. These volumes can then be arranged in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array across the sheet material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an electronics packaging system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, having an array of individual packaging volumes for electronic components;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electronics packaging system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the electronics packaging system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the electronics packaging system, taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2, and showing how an electronic device is held within the packaging volume.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an electronics packaging system 1 having a tray 2 formed of plastic sheet material, which in this example has antistatic properties. As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet is formed from a thin material having opposite first and second surfaces 4, 5. The first surface 4 has a regular array of individual recesses 6. Each recess 6 has a rounded square outline and is bounded by a rim 8.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rim 8 rises above a flat portion 10 of the first surface 4 that extends continuously around each recess 6. It is not, however, necessary that the rim 8 is higher than the surrounding surface 10, and the surrounding flat surface 10 could extend continuously up to the rim at the edge of each recess 6.

A coversheet of fabric 12 extends over the first side 4 of the tray 2 and across the rims 8 around each of the recesses 6. In this example, the fabric also has antistatic properties. The coversheet 12 is bonded to the tray 2 to provide individual packaging volumes 14 for an electronic device 16.

Each recess 6 is surrounded by four side walls 18 which slope down into the recess at a near-vertical orientation. Each recess 6 has a flat central portion 20. A groove 22 extends around the base of each side wall 18 between the side walls 18 and the flat base 20.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, the packaging volume 14 is an appropriate size for a semi conductor device 16 which is securely held within the packaging volume. The electronic device 16 has legs 24, the groove 22 being orientated so that the legs 24 are located in the groove 22.

The tray 2 can be provided with one or more lines of perforations 26, two of which are shown in FIG. 2. Preferably, perforations 26 separate each one of the recesses 6 so that in use the tray 2 can be subdivided to provide smaller quantities of electronic components 16 as required.

The perforations 26 extend through the sheet, and may optionally also perforate the coversheet 12.

When a user wishes to release one of the electronic components 16, he may pull back the coversheet 12, and to help this the coversheet 12 is not bonded to the tray sheet material 4 in the flat regions 10 surrounding each recess 6. A user can then more easily peel back the coversheet 12 to release the electronic device 16.

In this example, the antistatic fabric is a static dissipative coated fabric sold as ITP-150 Tyvek (Registered Trade Mark), type 1073B. This is a heat sealable material which can be bonded to the underlying plastic tray by a heating sealing process. If anti-static properties are not required this could be another fabric or material without an electro-static discharge (esd) related pre-treatment.

Alternatively, it would be possible to use an adhesive between the coversheet 12 and tray sheet material 4 in order to bond these together.

The tray 2 itself, is also made from an antistatic plastic composition. In this example, the preferred composition is an APET plastic material. Future materials may or may not have static related properties depending on the components being inserted into the tray.

The shape of the tray 2 may be any convenient shape, and is not limited to the square outline shown in the drawings. For example, the tray 2 could be an extended length of plastic sheet material, and may be provided in roll form, for example on a dispensing spool or within a box dispenser.

In production, the sheet material 12 may be bonded to the tray sheet material 4 in a continuous process in which an extended length of the coversheet material 12 is bonded to a corresponding length of the tray sheet material 4, after insertion of electronic components 16 in each of the recesses 6.

The size of the recesses 6 may be varied in order to accommodate different sized electronic components 16. It would also be possible to provide a tray having a range of different recess sizes as well as containing different size electronic components 16. This may be convenient when a range of different electronic components are expected to be needed in one application.

The invention therefore provides a convenient and reliable way of packaging electronic component, particularly static sensitive, electro-mechanical and passive electronic components. 

1. An electronics packaging system for electronic components, comprising: a tray formed of plastic sheet material, said sheet having opposite first and second surfaces and having a plurality of individual recesses formed in the first surface thereof, each recess having a rim that extends around the recess; and a coversheet of fabric which extends over said first surface of the tray and across the rims around said recesses; wherein said coversheet is bonded to the tray to provide an individual packaging volume for an electronic device between each recess and said coversheet.
 2. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 1, in which the coversheet is an antistatic coversheet.
 3. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 1, in which the tray has antistatic properties.
 4. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 1, in which each recess is surrounding by a planar region of said first surface.
 5. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 4, in which each rim projects above said surrounding planar region, said coversheet being bonded to the first surface at each rim, but not in at least a portion of said surrounding planar region.
 6. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 4, in which the surrounding planar region is provided with one or more lines of weakness so that a user can tear or break along said lines to separate one or more of said packaging volumes from one or more other packaging volumes.
 7. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 6, in which said lines of weakness include a perforation in at least the plastic sheet material, said perforation not extending into said individual packaging volume.
 8. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 6, in which said lines of weakness include a local thinning in at least the plastic sheet material, said thinning not extending into said individual packaging volume.
 9. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 1, comprising additionally an electronic chip held within said packaging volume, said chip having projecting connection pins which extend from one side of a body of the chip, said pins being seated within a groove provided in a base of the recess such that the pins extend away from said coversheet.
 10. An electronics packaging system as claimed in claim 9, in which each recess includes side walls, the groove in the recess extending around the base of said side walls, and said side walls having a clearance with said chip in the recess which maintains the seated location of said pins within the groove. 